Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Is demand for Daytona 500 tickets at an all-time low ?

According to at least one measure, demand for Daytona 500 tickets this season on the secondary ticket market is at an all-time low. Data from SeatGeek, an entertainment ticket search engine, indicates the average ticket price for Sunday's 500 has fallen more than 30 percent in the last month, from a peak of $238 per ticket on Jan. 20 to $161 with four days remaining before the race.

More findings from an analysis of ticket data from SeatGeek:

- This year's average ticket price ($161) is down 18 percent from the 2013 Daytona 500, which drew an average of $197 per ticket on the resale market. In prior years, the race drew average ticket prices of $191 in 2012 and $203 in 2011.

- As of Wednesday, the race is not close to being sold out. All of the cheapest seats have been sold (prices started at $32 per ticket), and those are up for sale on the secondary market starting at more than twice face value ($75 per ticket), but you can still find plenty of face value tickets at the online box office as low as $65 each in Turn 2, Lund and Allison seating areas. For the most part, all tower and box seating near the finish line is sold out, but aside from those areas, you can find tickets from the box office anywhere around the track.

- Even in seating areas that have sold out, there are deals to be had on the secondary market. Campbell Box seats at the finish line had been going for about $450 apiece in late January, but they can be had Wednesday for $199 per ticket. Sprint Tower seats (only available from the box office as part of an $1,800 package including food and beverage, parking, gifts, celebrity appearances and VIP pre-race access) that were commanding $700 and up per ticket a month ago now start at around $300 each.

All the latest information on pricing and availability for the Daytona 500 can be found on SeatGeek's event page for the race here.